Author Archives: mourningdove

Nakasendo Trail: Day Two (Tsumago to Nagiso and Kiso-Fukushima)

This was the day I met my Japanese boyfriend, Kiso Yoshinaka. Never mind that he’s been dead for 900 years and change; I like unavailable men. But more on Naka-chan in a bit…. Since my sister was recovering from a foot injury, and I had tweaked my knee the previous day, we let the restContinue reading “Nakasendo Trail: Day Two (Tsumago to Nagiso and Kiso-Fukushima)”

Ceramics Saturdays: Jōmon Ware (and other treasures from the Tokyo National Museum)

Anytime I visit a museum in Japan I’m struck by how much of what we call “modern” art and design in Europe and the U.S. looks like very old Japanese traditions. It’s not just a coincidence of forms, either: when Japan re-opened to Western trade during the Meiji, Japanese arts and crafts flooded the EuropeanContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Jōmon Ware (and other treasures from the Tokyo National Museum)”

Nakasendo Trail: Day 1–Magome to Tsumago

The Nakasendo (literally “central mountain route”) was formalized in the Edo period (17th century), stringing together a series of mountain passes that travelers from the Kyōto area to the Tōsando (the middle and northern mountainous provinces of the Honshu island of Japan) had used since the 7th century. The tour we chose was Nakasendo andContinue reading “Nakasendo Trail: Day 1–Magome to Tsumago”

Aikido and Rhetoric: Flow, Still

Look at the adversaries through the opportunity. Never make the fatal mistake of looking at the opportunity through the adversaries. J. Stuart Holden, Giant Steps If your heart is large enough to envelop your adversaries, you can see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelop them, you will be able toContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Flow, Still”

Letter of Recommendation: Huevos Rancheros

I remember my mom making this dish for us for breakfast on the weekends more often than she made any other New Mexican dish growing up, and that’s probably because it’s so quick to make. Technically, it’s named for a sauce my mom never actually used because ranchero sauce contains both tomatoes and onions, twoContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Huevos Rancheros”

Ceramics Saturdays: Oil-spot glazes

Hey, it’s photographing things on the dining-room table day! Actually, no joke, I have the perfect table for this–it’s a Hans Wegner table I lucked into (though the cross-bars at each end bark my shins with regularity, which is like, who designs a table with bars at shin-height? Hans Wegner is who…) and it’s reaaaaaaallyContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Oil-spot glazes”

Letter of Recommendation: Osprey Ultralight Organizers

I like to carry what I call a “comfort kit” that goes in my tote/travel bags stuffed with things I need to access in meetings or on planes with minimum drama: lip balm, wet wipes, Advil, a pair of cheap readers, pen, phone charger, that kind of thing. Not a full toiletry kit but on-the-goContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Osprey Ultralight Organizers”